After three months of weekly bee updates, we at Buzzfeeds have decided to redirect our focus to take a deeper look at the declining bee population by switching to a new, monthly feature. The all new Buzzfeeds will be unveiled in November, but to bring the weekly updates to a close, we had The Guardian's resident bee expert Alison Benjamin select the most significant Buzzfeeds stories and explain their impact.

What happened:Bees pollinating crops including watermelon, cucumbers and blueberries return to their hives with pollen contaminated by agricultural chemicals – leaving insects more susceptible to a lethal parasite, according to a study published online in July. Pollen filled with fungicides, insecticides and other agriculture chemicals was fed to healthy bees, that were then more likely to be infected by Nosema ceranae – a gut parasite linked to the decimation of honey bees.

Key quote:

Dennis van Engelsdorp, an entomologist at the University of Maryland and senior author of the new study, said:

Fungicides, which we didn't expect to harm insects, seem to have a sub-lethal effect on bee health ... And that is important, of course, because there is not a lot of regulation for fungicides when they are being applied to flowering plants … so this suggests that we need to rethink and reevaluate how we write label laws for some fungicides.

Why this is so important:Fungicides have been seen as fairly safe for honeybees and are used extensively by farmers. Yet this research shows that they are a danger to honeybees because there is an increased probability of Nosema infection – which has been linked to increased bee mortality – in bees that consumed pollen with high levels of fungicide. So, what this research shows is that the recent decline in honeybee populations may be attributable to more factors than recent research suggests. In addition to pesticides, poor nutrition and parasites, their demise may also be linked to other common agricultural chemicals. It is more proof that modern agricultural practices are unsustainable and we need to change these practices to safeguard our pollinators.

What happened:In an effort to abate the decimation of the bee population, two US representatives introduced a bill that would put a temporary ban on the insecticides commonly associated with colony collapse disorder – neonicotinoids. The congressmen hope that such a ban would move the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to conduct more comprehensive studies on these insecticides and to have the government conduct a nationwide study of bee mortality.

Key Quote:Blumenauer told the Daily Beast:

This is something that's not particularly partisan. What we're seeing is the emergence of a large and growing sector of agricultural producers that realize the cost and consequences of this problem. People are also understanding that it's cheaper and more effective to use non-chemical techniques.

Why this is so important:Chemical giants Syngenta and Bayer have both filed legal challenges against the European Commission's two-year ban on its neonicotinoid pesticides. As a result, the ban, which was supposed to come into force by the end of 2013, could be delayed or even quashed. So it's vitally important that the US takes on the might of these companies and gives the EPA the power and confidence to protect honeybees and other pollinators from dangerous pesticides through a much more rigorous registration process.

What happened: Two scientists from a University of Sussex laboratory are urging wannabe-urban beekeepers to consider planting more flowers instead of taking up the increasingly popular hobby. The scientists say that a dense population of bees in areas with fewer feeding plants puts more pressure on the species, potentially doing more harm than good.

Key quote:Professor Ratnieks said:

It's great that the public are concerned for bees and want to help. But this enthusiasm needs to be better channelled. We would not want to discourage anyone from taking up beekeeping if that is what they want to do. Beekeeping can be a fascinating hobby, but should not be seen as a way of helping bees when done in areas such as London, where honey bees are already very abundant.

Why this is so important:This story created much debate and some great suggestions in the thread, particularly from SteB1, about how we can create more forage for all bees and other pollinators in towns and cities. It's important because people desperately want to help save bees and they need to know how they can do this by planting the right trees and flowers.

The Sussex scientists suggest that for every new hive introduced into London that we would need the equivalent of one hectare of borage, a plant that attracts mainly honey bees, or 8.3 hectares of lavender, a plant that attracts mainly bumblebees but some honey bees.

But some parts of London are covered in brambles, buddleia and lime trees – which are all important bee and butterfly forage. What we need is a pollinator audit of London and other cities to establish what forage is available and where and what more could be done to increase bee and pollinator food. While planting hectres of borage may be impractical in cities where space is scarce, planting more bee-friendly trees, making roofs more bee-friendly and less mowing of dandelions and other pollinator-friendly 'weeds' are all possible.